Monthly Archives: January 2015

Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang

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Jan 19. to Jan 21.

I spend my birthday this year in Vang Vieng with a motorbike I rented for 5 days. I really enjoy riding the 150cc Hongga dirt bike (Chinese brand). My birthday present is a little bird I find trapped in an evil bird trap in the jungle – an about 10m wide nylon net put over a river. I destroy 5 more such nets on the way back and when I ask my host about it in the evening he says “This is our culture! You want some monkey soup?” Either he tells me that the nets are controlled once a day anyway so the worst the birds have to suffer for 24 hours. People here seem to be as much Buddhist as IS in Syria seem to be muslims – not at all!

Next day morning I jump on the bike to ride to Luang Prabang wich is less than 100km north but at least 190km on the road. I choose to take the longer way going there which is about 250 leading over some mountain passes taking me up to 1500m above sealevel several times – its fucking freezing on the bike. The road is pretty mindblowing amazing – one curve follows the next so my average speed is a little below 50 on the small bike. The battery charger of the bike has a problem and I recognize in the evening I have no lights. I did this one time in the Himalayas on my Enfield and I promised myself never to do it again. Riding mountain roads full of bump holes left hand side a wall right hand side an abyss in the dark without light is not funny!

I manage to get down the last pass and find the first guesthouse after 100km just as the last light is fading. I am freezing like a tiger in the arctic when I discover a huge 25l bucket in the bathroom. The water heaters here only produce a small amount of water at a time so it is not really enough to have a satisfying hot shower (the more water the colder it is). I slowly fill up the bucket with nearby boiling water to have the best bucket shower ever in my life. I love bucket showers but a 25l bucket is enough to heat up the whole body. After showering I go to the restaurant next door to get some food. This is, even though only 25km away from Luang Prabang an absolute not touristic area. The food is spicy as hell and I only get Sticks to eat it. I never had such spicy food before – not even that one time at the Indian highway when the chef wanted to fuck me and made something for me that he didn’t even touch when I asked him to show me that he is eating this. Locals have several good laughs at me sweating like a waterfall and still trying to eat with sticks. After I have eaten a quarter they have compassion and give me a spoon. Still I can only eat half of it as it is just too hot. After food I make a little walk through the village and get the best shave all over southeastasia from a very cute girl. Enjoy!

Next day I go to touristic Luang Prabang but I promise myself to do my best to be back here in the evening. After breakfast and massage (my shoulders desperately need one after the cool bike ride) I ride 25 more km to the Tat Kuang Si Falls. Arriving there I pass a butterfly park 300m before the car park at the waterfall. I am asked to pay for parking at the waterfall so I turn around to park the bike at the butterfly park. The small park is run by a dutch couple who created an amazingly beautiful place here. I enjoy the park a lot, try a fish spa (for free once inside) for the first time as I see fish that are well kept for the first time. Its amazing! Ineke has great coffee and cake for me and even some time for a little chat. When I look at my watch I realize I had spend way too much time here already (not enough still) and hurry up to go to the waterfall. For the first time in Laos I have the feeling the admission fee for waterfall and butterfly park is well invested. The butterfly park is amazing anyway and at the waterfall area they take care of bears rescued from poachers. The waterfall itself is incredibly beautiful with all the blue pools and nice cascade. The main fall is just breathtaking (but no swimming here). I take a quick shower in one of the small cascades and then have to hurry already to get back to the guesthouse in time. After another very hot shower I have another very hot meal and again everyone is laughing about the waterfall that springs from my face. I love this tiny village – here and at the Butterfly park I feel real hospitality not only for the money for the first time after I left Bangkok.

Vientiane to Vang Vieng

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Wasted a few more days in Vientiane to get my Vietnam visa and then made the 150km journey to Vang Vieng by bus (7 hours!). In Vang Vieng I rent a 150cc kind of enduro and enjoy the surrounding. Once a few kilometers away from the tourist spot the landscape and the people become amazing. And I am little proud of some of todays wildlife pictures… enjoy!

Jan 11. – Jan 13. Laos (Pakse and arrival in Vientiane)

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The blog entries of this journey sound a little pissed I have to admit and to be honest, sometimes I am… But anyway I enjoy travelling a lot again, even though shit happens (not as much as it sounds like I guess) I make memories every day. I am on the road one month yet and it feels like forever. So many things happen I simply don’t have time to write all down. Compared to being at home where one day is like another and I have no idea of the time passing here life is intense, true, honest and filled with experiences and beauty – even though its sometimes hard to see.

 

I left 4000 islands to Pakse. On my first (out of two) morning there I see a BMW bike with a british number plate in front of the hotel. The owner sits opposite so I ask him straight ahead if he took his bike from Kathmandu to Nepal or if there is by any chance a way already to cross Myanmar overland. When he tells me he came all the way overland I become tempted to fly home as fast as possible to get my bike. Backpacking is fine but getting away from beaten tracks sometimes seems impossible so that’s why I prefer having my own vehicle instead of using tourist transportation…. We have a nice chat sharing our opinion about the most hospitable countries (Pakistan and Iran) we both have traveled yet. He even managed to cross nowadays IS territory in Irak only weeks before the armed conflict started there. But check his Blog yourself if you like at www.DanSkeates.com

 

In Pakse I rent a scooter to visit the Bolaven plateau to see the coffee farms and the waterfalls. I go up to a freezing cold 1500 above sea level and back again within a few hours. Unfortunately many waterfalls are drained by hydro power plants already and those that still exist are expensive to see (entrance fee equals an average main course at a restaurant and there are loads of them). At the last one I start discussing the price with the guy who is in charge. I tell him I would love to see the waterfall and it would make me happy to see it. I ask him for his religion – Buddhist he says but still wont let me in. I pull out one dollar and offer it to him (a third of the entrance fee) saying thatif it is money which makes him happy I would be glad to give him a little at least so at least one of us is happy. At the end he refuses to take the money and invites me in.

 

After spending one night in the most luxurious sleeper bus (having a double bed because not fully booked) I wake up freezing when arriving in Vientiane. I curse the aircondition and look forward to feel the warmth when getting out of the bus – well the aircondition had not been on its freezing cold a little before sunrise on the main bus stand in Vientiane. In town me and 3 girls who had been on the bus get a coffee. I ask them to take care of my luggage for a bit so I can find a room to store all our luggage there they want to leave tonight and I need a room to stay a few days to get visas for Myanmar and Vietnam before going to Vang Vieng. When I go back to the café after finding a room suddenly somebody yells “Hariom!” right next to me. I look and see Narayan whom I met in india and spend some amazing time with a few years ago. We hug each other and are both laughing about meeting up by chance. Life is amazing!

LAOS

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After crossing the border I spend a nice week in Don Det – one of the 4000 Island in the Mekong river at the biggest waterfall of saoutheastasia. Very touristy place but very ok to spend a view days! 😉

Beautiful Scambodia: Seam Reep (Angkor Wat) – Phnom Penh – Kratie

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Siem Reap – Phnom Penh – Kratie

Dec. 31, 2014 – Jan. 3, 2015

I want to leave the beaten tracks and book a boat ticket to Kompong Chhnang which is on the way to Phnom Penh. When I went to the ticket counter I had two more options but was told getting off there was no problem. Once on a boat full of tourists (no stories about this one just DON’T DO IT) I start checking internet for onward transport to the east and find out it will be impossible to go further east without passing Phnom Penh. Half an hour later the boat doesn’t stop at my destination (means I was cheated with the Kompong Chhnang no problem story) so I have to go to the capitol anyway. Getting off the boat I run away from the tuk tuk drivers and get 2 very expensive coffee to digest the boat ride. Room is quickly found (too expensive, not very clean) and I take the chance to get some guitar strings. Receptionist offers me bus tickets for the next day (“same price like bus station) but the guitar shoo was next to the bus station and I got them way cheaper there. Not so much interested in Phnom Penh nightlife (alcohol and prostitution) so I spend New Year’s night sleeping.

Next day morning I have enough time to get proper breakfast (veg fried rice) and some of the real good Scambodian coffee. The bus journey leads thru an amazing landscape and I regret a lot not being on me own wheels. Still I am incredibly tired after that bus ride of 9 hours so I make an easy victim for the first guy after getting off the bus. He brings me to his hotel which is only a little filthy and cheap. I could fall asleep standing so I take the room and sleep nearly all of the next day.
In the late afternoon I take a look at town and find a nice little restaurant where I eat a lot and spend the evening – tomorrow I want to rent a scooter to go and see the famous Irrawaddy river dolphins. According to a counting in 2012 by WWF there are only 85 left and the Mekong is a huge river so I have to be very lucky to see one. Still some travelers on the way told me they had been successful so I give it a try. Before going to the boats to watch the dolphins I drink a coffee close to a swimming village about 1km river up of the dolphin place. If you come here just take a coffee in one of the restaurants where u have a perfect view of the village. Village itself is another expensive scam and sitting in the shadow in the restaurant u will get the better view including three amazing tasty iced coffees for the same price.

About two hours before sunset I approach the place for dolphin watching. There is a small queue at the ticket booth so I decide to drink something at the caffee offering a nice view of the river. As soon as I sit down the close the windows cutting my view claiming it is “too hot” (of course that is why you close 2 hours before sunset). I go back and get a ticket to be most welcome when coming back to have a drink at the open window – strange enough I didn’t notice the sudden drop of temperature. I go below the caffee next to where the boats stop and spend some time sitting and watching the river. I can see at least 6 dolphins from the bank which leaves me quite amazed. The boat ride (one hour nine dollar) takes about 40 minutes and then I have to start arguing with the driver to make it 50 minutes. Still the sight is worth it.

In the morning that day I was in need to change some money and the guest house owner offered to do so when I asked him for a bus ticket. “Same rate as bank 1,14 dollar for one euro” – dream on I think and check the rate online. There is a bank just around the corner and on my way there the guest house owner tells me it is closed “Saturday” and to better get the bus ticket soon otherwise the bus might be full. Well to make it a short story – bank was open and rate was 1,18 and the bus ticket was way cheaper in town and I got it without any problem in the evening. Bus ticket to Laos…. Finally leaving Scambodia today.